Chapter 1249: Tianji Prophecy
Facing Fantian Shen Di's "question" and the gazes of the entire assembly, what appeared on Yun Che's face was not the panic and nervousness everyone expected, but rather a look of complete bewilderment. He frowned slightly and said, "In reply to Fantian Shen Di, the lightning tribulation just now... is not really a secret, but I actually don't know what happened either."
"Oh? You don't know?" Fantian Shen Di's eyes narrowed slightly.
Yun Che nodded. "When I was fighting Luo Changsheng earlier, I was heavily injured and my consciousness was scattered. I have no idea why I suddenly broke through and even attracted a lightning tribulation. I dare not hide anything from Fantian Shen Di and the other seniors. When the lightning tribulation descended, my consciousness was already blurred. I had no idea what was happening. By the time I woke up, my injuries had completely healed, my profound energy and spirit had fully recovered, and my profound strength had directly stepped into the middle stage of the Divine Spirit Realm. Then the lightning tribulation also disappeared. As for what exactly happened... I am still at a loss and was just planning to ask all the seniors for guidance."
Yun Che furrowed his brows tightly, looking puzzled. "I have never experienced a lightning tribulation before. I only have a slight understanding from my master's teachings. But the lightning tribulation just now was vastly different from what my master mentioned. I am still young and inexperienced, so it is natural that I cannot understand the reason behind it. Could it be... that even all the seniors here do not know?"
With a few light words, Yun Che threw the "interrogation" back at the Divine Emperors.
In other words: Even you esteemed Divine Emperors don't know, so how could I?
Yun Che's words caused many experts of the Eastern Divine Region to frown. Some looked puzzled, but most wore contemplative expressions.
Yun Che was less than half a Jiazi in age and his experience was indeed extremely shallow. Moreover, everyone had witnessed him being crushed and heavily wounded by Luo Changsheng, to the point of near death. If he truly possessed some great secret that could withstand even the Heavenly Dao's Calamity Thunder, then why couldn't he withstand Luo Changsheng's Divine King power?
The Ninefold Lightning Tribulation was unprecedented in the history of the God Realm, so Yun Che naturally could never have experienced it either. Thus, his claim that he himself didn't know why it happened... upon a moment's thought, it seemed only natural.
And the fact that he came out of the Ninefold Lightning Tribulation not only unscathed, but with his injuries and profound energy fully healed and his cultivation leaping straight to the middle stage of the Divine Spirit Realm, was something even a group of Divine Lords and Divine Emperors could not understand...
"You... really don't know at all?" Fantian Shen Di stared directly into Yun Che's pupils, his tone calm, a faint smile playing on his face.
The intimidating pressure of a Divine Emperor would be unbearable even for many Realm Kings, let alone a young profound practitioner. Yun Che's spirit was clearly suppressed, a hint of fear showing on his face, but his words showed no hesitation or wavering: "Yes, I am dull-witted and still don't know what happened. I hope the seniors here can offer some guidance."
Mu Xuanyin had strictly warned him before that when he broke through to the Divine Tribulation Realm, his lightning tribulation would definitely be abnormal and he should not break through on his own without her present.
He never expected to suddenly break through while heavily injured during his battle with Luo Changsheng, much less attract an unprecedented Ninefold Lightning Tribulation...
Back in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, when the Golden Crow Soul Spirit gave him the Evil God's Lightning Seed, it had said that possessing the Evil God's lightning power meant that even heavenly punishment lightning could not harm him. The Ninefold Lightning Tribulation had indeed not harmed him; instead, due to the impact of Heavenly Dao power, his Great Dao Pagoda Art and profound strength both broke through. But at the same time, it also caused a huge side effect...
It had frightened everyone.
Since things had come to this point, after much deliberation during the lightning tribulation, the best method he could think of was to stubbornly cling to the claim that he was also "bewildered and ignorant."
"..." Qianye Ying'er curled her lips slightly and gave a soft snort, but said nothing.
At that moment, an extremely excited, old voice sounded: "I may know the reason why Yun Che was not harmed by the lightning tribulation!"
This old voice instantly drew everyone's attention... It was none other than the head of the Three Tianji Elders, Mo Yu!
The Three Tianji Elders were usually very taciturn, because their words were "words of the Heavenly Dao," each syllable as weighty as ten thousand jun. If an ordinary person had spoken the same words, the Divine Emperors might have dismissed them. But coming from Mo Yu, no one would lightly dismiss or question them.
"Really!?" Zhou Tian Shen Di said.
"..." Yun Che's brow tightened slightly, his heart giving a sudden "thump."
The Tianji Realm was an upper star realm, yet it could sit alongside the King Realms. This clearly showed its status in the Eastern Divine Region. As for the legends Yun Che had heard about the Tianji Realm, they were practically mythological...
Could it be that they had really seen something?
Mo Yu slowly
nodded, and the excitement he displayed at that moment shocked Zhou Tian Shen Di and the others. It wasn't just Mo Yu—Mo Zhi and Mo Wen were the same.
And these Three Tianji Elders, who had spent their lives peering into the Heavenly Dao and regarded life and death with indifference, were usually not stirred by anything in the world. Yet now, they were clearly as excited as if they had seen a true god.
The Three Tianji Elders all stared at Yun Che, their gazes trembling unceasingly. Mo Yu said slowly, "Because this child is very likely... the Son of the Heavenly Dao!"
Yun Che: "...?"
"What!?" Zhou Tian Shen Di's expression froze.
"Son... Son of the Heavenly Dao?" These four words, this shocking appellation, left a multitude of profound practitioners dumbfounded.
"Since he is the Son of the Heavenly Dao, how could he be harmed by the power of the Heavenly Dao!" Mo Yu continued. "The world-covering black clouds and the Ninefold Lightning Tribulation just now were not the lightning tribulation we know at all. Instead, they were the Heavenly Dao proclaiming to all worlds that the Son of the Heavenly Dao has descended!"
These words were utterly absurd. But coming from the mouths of the Three Tianji Elders, every word struck like thunder.
"Hahahaha!" Cang Shitian threw his head back and laughed. "What a load of nonsense. I have lived for tens of thousands of years and have never heard of any 'Son of the Heavenly Dao.' For you to spout such ridiculous nonsense, it's a wonder you have the nerve to say it."
The Eastern Divine Region held great respect for the Tianji Realm, but that did not mean the Southern Divine Region did the same.
"Long has also never heard of the theory of the 'Son of the Heavenly Dao,'" Long Huang said flatly. "However, Long is also well aware that the Tianji Realm has never spoken falsely. I request that the three of you enlighten us: what is the 'Son of the Heavenly Dao'? And why do you believe Yun Che is the 'Son of the Heavenly Dao'?"
Mo Yu shook his head. "We three also do not know what the 'Son of the Heavenly Dao' actually means."
"Heh," Cang Shitian curled his lip disdainfully. "Don't tell me you were just playing with us just now."
Zhou Tian Shen Di raised his hand, his expression grave. "Grandmaster Mo Yu, please continue."
Mo Yu closed his eyes briefly, took a long, slow breath, and said slowly, "The words 'Son of the Heavenly Dao' come from the prophecy of an ancestor from a distant age. Moreover... it was the final Heavenly Fate that our sect's Huantian Tai Zu saw before his passing."
"What? Huantian Tai Zu!?" Zhou Tian Shen Di's body shook visibly. The other Divine Emperors also had slight changes in expression.
"Huantian Tai Zu? Who is that?" Huo Poyun asked quietly.
"He was the founding patriarch of the Tianji Sect and the first extraordinary person in the God Realm capable of peering into the Heavenly Dao," Huo Rulie said in a low voice. "Back then, he had a very deep friendship with the Zhou Tian Tai Zu. The first prophecy he made was that Zhou Tian would definitely become a King Realm."
"Ah!" Huo Poyun let out a soft exclamation.
At the mention of "Huantian Tai Zu," a look of profound reverence clearly appeared on Zhou Tian Shen Di's face. Even his tone lost some of its calm authority: "What exactly does the 'Son of the Heavenly Dao' that Huantian Tai Zu ultimately prophesied mean? And why do you believe that this 'Son of the Heavenly Dao' is Yun Che?"
"The Tai Zu prophesied that our Eastern Divine Region would one day give birth to a 'Son of the Heavenly Dao.' He would be born bathed in a Ninefold Lightning Tribulation, and would ultimately..." Mo Yu's chest heaved, every word carrying a devotion like faith itself: "... become... a... True... God."
Zhou Tian Shen Di: "..."
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
Yun Che: "............"
........................
........................
The word "True God" struck like a thunderbolt in the ears and hearts of everyone. Then, the entire world fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's expressions changed, as if they had been suddenly thrust into a hazy illusion. But the most dramatic change in expression was clearly among the Divine Emperors. Fantian Shen Di, Zhou Tian Shen Di, Xing Shendi, and Yue Shen Di were as if struck by heavenly lightning, their bodies, features, and gazes all frozen for a long time. Long Huang abruptly turned around. Even Shitian Shen Di, who had been slumped there listlessly and drowsily, instantly stood up, his gaze sharp and direct.
For profound practitioners, especially those who had reached the pinnacle of humanity, nothing was more impactful than the word "True God."
From the Initial Xuan Realm to the Sovereign Xuan Realm, these were the Nine Mortal Realms, the path of mortal cultivation.
From the Divine Origin Realm to the Divine Lord Realm, these were the Seven Divine Mysterious Realms, the divine path that allowed humans to break through the limits of humanity... But in the end, this was still the divine path of humans. It broke through the boundaries of humanity, striving to approach the gods, but it was destined to never truly reach the divine realm.
And a True God was an existence completely transcending the human level, possessing supreme divine power. They were a race and a power that had been extinguished in the ancient era.
The era of True Gods had already ended. Under the increasingly turbid chaos energy, humans, beasts, demons, spirits... every living being was doomed to never become a True God. This was practically common sense or a truth in the path of profound cultivation.
The word "True God" was now only a distant myth.
But those profound practitioners at the very pinnacle of the profound path, while believing in their hearts that humans might be destined to never become gods and that True Gods would certainly never appear again, also secretly yearned and pursued the illusory "Path of the True God," even going to any lengths for it.
Because if the myth came true, they would possess a lifespan as long as heaven, and the power to control the heavens and look down upon everything.
But a myth was ultimately just a myth. Although all the King Realms sought it, no one had ever truly achieved it.
And now, they had heard the words "True God" from the mouths of the Three Tianji Elders, from the prophecy of the Tianji Realm's founding patriarch.
And it was "become a True God"!
Zhou Tian Shen Di stepped forward several paces before finally speaking: "This... is it truly... the prophecy of Huantian Tai Zu?"
In the world, only the King Realms were qualified to pursue that ethereal Path of the True God. Therefore, beneath the King Realms, anyone who said things like "become a True God" would simply be dismissed with contempt.
But the Tianji Realm was different. Figures like the Three Tianji Elders would absolutely never speak a single word of falsehood or reckless talk... let alone something that came from the Tianji Realm's founding patriarch.
"Heh, what a joke," Cang Shitian said disdainfully. "First this so-called 'Son of the Heavenly Dao,' and now even 'True God' jumps out. Is this your Eastern Divine Region's so-called 'Tianji prophecy'? The era of gods ended long ago. Humans are doomed to never become gods, and True Gods will never be born again in this world. Even a three-year-old child knows that."
"I once sought the path of the gods, but after a full ten thousand years, I found nothing. And now you few old fellows, with mere Divine King realm cultivation, dare to blurt out nonsense like 'become a True God'... Heh, I have never heard such a ridiculous joke in my entire life, hahahaha!"
Although Cang Shitian was disdainful and laughing wildly, deep in his pupils, an incomparable fervor was clearly stirring.
Although he did not believe it, or rather, no one believed it, the mere possibility, however slight, was enough to drive them mad.
Mo Yu took a deep breath and said slowly, "We indeed have no qualification whatsoever to discuss the Path of the True God. The Son of the Heavenly Dao, the Ninefold Lightning Tribulation, the descent of a True God... I have never dared to forget or doubt the prophecy of our ancestors, but in truth, I never believed it would actually happen. Because Sixfold Lightning Tribulation was already a vanished myth; how could there ever be Ninefold Lightning Tribulation!"
"But just now, the impossible Ninefold Lightning Tribulation appeared before our eyes!"
"The ancestor's prophecy is right before us!"
"If you still do not believe..." Mo Yu suddenly straightened his brows. He reached out both hands, and a brilliant profound light shone before him as a huge white book appeared.
The book was several zhang in size, surrounded by a gentle profound light. Although it was just a book, it exuded an ancient and sacred aura.
"The Tianji Divine Canon!" Zhou Tian Shen Di said in a low voice.
Mo Yu slowly said, "This Tianji Divine Canon is the supreme sacred artifact of our Tianji Realm. It bears the names of our historical ancestors and the Heavenly Fates they saw and the prophecies they left behind. All the Divine Emperors have consulted the Tianji Divine Canon before, and all have asked the same question: Why is the first page of the Tianji Divine Canon blank?"
Long Huang, Shitian Shen Di, Zhou Tian Shen Di, Fantian Shen Di, Xing Shendi, and Yue Shen Di all focused their gazes, their heartstrings tightly drawn.
"Now that the prophecy has been fulfilled, it is time for me to resolve the doubts of all the Divine Emperors."
Mo Yu waved his hand, and the Tianji Divine Canon opened in full view of everyone, revealing its first page.
A blank page, with no patterns, no engravings of a single word.
The Three Tianji Elders exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously. They extended their right arms, and with their minds concentrated, their palms shone with the unique profound light of the Tianji Realm.
Beneath that profound light, two lines of golden inscriptions appeared clearly on the blank page of the Tianji Divine Canon:
When the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation appears,
The True God shall return.